In any event, we here at DungeonMastering.com have compiled a list of what we think are the 12 most useful for the D&D gamer. And for the sake of argument (because we have an inkling that gamers don’t mind a hearty argument ‘discussion’) we’re going to rank them. So here we go, the 12 sites of Xmas.

#12). Battle Planner: http://www.battleplanner.com/features.asp You need a way to keep track of your plastic crack collection, & while you could just use spreadsheets, a dedicated software solution has a number of advantages. Battle Planner comes in at the bottom because not everyone uses minis in their games (congrats on making those Will saves) & is also somewhat dated.

#11). NPC Random Background Generator: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/NPCBG/generator.asp A quick & dirty way to get background details on NPC’s from Level 1-30. Obviously not perfect, even setting aside the fact that it’s from WotC, but still, quite handy in a pinch. Even useful for players as an ‘Idea Mine.’

#10). Pyromancer: http://pyromancers.com/dungeon-painter-online/ Free, web-based utility that has both pre-made icons for buildings, nature, & Old School D&D. You know, the blue-lined maps from ye olden days. Most DM’s either use pre-made maps, battlemats, card tiles, etc. but Pyromancer has possibilities for those doing custom campaigns.

#9). Nearby Gamers: http://nearbygamers.com/ Has a handy map for quickly seeing well, nearby gamers. Keeping a full table of players is crucial. We didn’t rank this higher though because CL or MeetUp seem to be the default methods. But try this site out next time you have an empty seat.

#6). Fantasy Name Generators: http://fantasynamegenerators.com/ A plethora of nomenclature, with everything from the expected Elves/Dwarves/Hobbits to Trolls/Dragons/Vampires. You can run Male or Female. There’s even a generator for Pirate Ships!

#5). EasyDamus: http://www.easydamus.com/alignment.html Alignment can be one of the most PITA aspects about D&D. This site breaks it down with clear examples & compares one alignment to another. It even explains the actions that are appropriate for an adventurer of that ethos. Yes, Alignment causes more arguments than just about everything else, but it is one of the main (official) sources of roleplaying material. EasyDamus makes it function.

#4). AvatarArt: http://avatarart.com/AvatarArt_Gallery_SelectGallery.asp Ok, Full Disclosure: Yours Truly helps run this custom portrait service. But despite the obvious plug, having an custom character illustration truly brings them to life. If you want to have others see your imagination as you do, then you need an affordable piece of art. And AvatarArt delivers in platinum.

#2) Obsidian Portal: https://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns If you want to raise your game to the next Level, then you need to get it on OP. Quite simply, nothing else has changed the way my group has played D&D than having our campaign there.

And the #1 website? We’re not sure, so tell us what YOU think it is in the comments section.

I checked out Roll20, & it indeed is +5 for those spread out. I’m fortunate enough to have a weekly local game that has had to occasionally use ‘Virtual’ players viz a vis Google Chat & a built-in camera/mic.

It actually works well.

The reason that we didn’t include any of these virtual tabletops is, honestly, bias. If I want to game with friends that are spread out among the states (i.e. those from my high school days of yore) we use Xbox Live & kill zombies/aliens that way.

I have a hard time wrapping my head around playing D&D via computer when I could be playing it across the table.

But maybe there is someone with more experience who would like to write about doing virtual sessions?

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